Bible Study Notes Week 1

Psalm 23: Week 1

The Lord is My Shepherd; I shall not lack

THE LORD is my Shepherd [to feed, guide, and shield me], I shall not lack. Psalm 23:1 AMP I, Jehovah Rohi: The Lord, my Shepherd: the One Who takes care of me Who is the Lord and what is His character? Can I truly trust Him to take care of me and everything that concerns me?
Jesus, your Shepherd, proved His great love for you Jesus said in John 10:11, “I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd risks and lays down His [own] life for the sheep.”

John 15:15: No one has greater love [no one has shown stronger affection] then to lay down his own life for his friends.

Isaiah 53:6 NLT: All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet the LORD laid on him the sins of us all. NLT

He purchased you with His own blood. You belong to Him. You are His treasured possession.

I Peter 1:18-19 AMP: 18You must know (recognize) that you were redeemed (ransomed) from the useless (fruitless) way of living inherited by tradition from [your] forefathers, not with corruptible things [such as] silver and gold, 19But [you were purchased] with the precious blood of Christ (the Messiah), like that of a [sacrificial] lamb without blemish or spot.

He carries you close to His heart. He has great affection for you.

Isaiah 40:11 NIV: He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young.

You can give Him your cares because He cares for you.

I Peter 5:7 AMP: 7Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully.

Read Colossians 1:15-20: Thiink about this: Christ, the Creator of the Universe, validates my value and worth by calling Himself my Shepherd and invites me to consider myself His sheep;His special abject of affection and care, who better to care for me. It was in the Father’s heart to be your Shepherd. It was made possible through Jesus, and made real in our lives through the power of the Holy Spirit.
II. Because the Lord is my Shepherd:
“…I have everything I need” NCV
“…I do not lack” YLT
“…There is nothing I lack” HCSB
“…I lack nothing” TNIV

His purpose in coming was so that I might have a rich, satisfying, and abundant life.
John 10:9-11 NLT: 9 Yes, I am the gate. Those who come in through me will be saved. They will come and go freely and will find good pastures. 10 The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life. 11“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd sacrifices his life for the sheep.
John 10:10 AMP: “I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it ]overflows. “

The Lord is my Shepherd: I lack nothing. You are complete in Christ! Colossians 2:9-10 NLT:9 For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body 10 So you also are complete through your union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority.
Hebrews 13:20-21 NLT: 20 Now may the God of peace— who brought up from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great Shepherd of the sheep, and ratified an eternal covenant with his blood— 21 may he equip you with all you need for doing his will.
May he produce in you,[ through the power of Jesus Christ, every good thing that is pleasing to him. All glory to him forever and ever! Amen.
Psalm 37:17-19 NLT: 17 but the LORD takes care of the godly. 18 Day by day the LORD takes care of the innocent, and they will receive an inheritance that lasts forever. 19 They will not be disgraced in hard times; even in famine they will have more than enough.
Psalm 34:8-10 NLT: 8 Taste and see that the LORD is good. Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him! 9 Fear the LORD, you his godly people, for those who fear him will have all they need. 10 Even strong young lions sometimes go hungry,
but those who trust in the LORD will lack no good thing.
Read Mark 8:1-8. Jesus faced lack. How did He respond when He perceived lack?

When I thankfully acknowledge that the creator of the universe truly loves and cares about me, with gratitude and exaltation I can declare, “You, Lord are my Shepherd, I do not lack!” It is in this intimate, trusting relationship with Jesus that I will flourish under His care.